Luis Scola meshes well with Pacers

Indiana Pacers power forward Luis Scola (4) takes a shot with Toronto Raptors power forward Amir Johnson (15) defending during the fourth quarter of a game at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto won the game 95-82.(Photo: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports)

PHOENIX – Luis Scola reappeared from his back room treatment and sat down on the raised bleachers inside the Phoenix Suns practice facility. His long hair unbound by the elastic band he uses on game days, Scola raised two fingers, indicating to an Indiana Pacers staffer that he needed a pair of ice bags for his 33-year-old knees.

On Tuesday afternoon, Scola, the 6-9, 240-pound power forward, felt comfortable in his old home because he's thriving in his new role.

"I'm getting closer to the end of my career, so the most important thing for me is winning and this is a great chance for me to achieve that," said Scola, a first-year Pacer averaging 8.3 points in 18 minutes as a backup. "It's a great place to work and as a matter of fact, we're winning a lot of games."

Yes, winning soothes everything. Even the early concerns from a veteran who wondered how he'd fit in on a roster that seemed all but set for another deep playoff run.

Before the Pacers (33-7) face Phoenix in a Wednesday night showcase game on ESPN, Scola and Indiana coach Frank Vogel revisited the deal that brought the team a trustworthy backup power forward.

"I know Larry (Bird), as soon as he came back, targeted Luis to try to get him here," Vogel said on Tuesday. "I think he might have even said that his No. 1 target in terms of revamping the bench was getting Luis Scola, but there were a lot of moves we wanted to make. I don't think he was able to do it until right when it happened."

In his one season in Phoenix, Scola started the majority of the games for the young and rebranded Suns. He played 26 minutes a night and ranked within the top 20 among power forwards in shot attempts – only two fewer than Indiana starter David West (13.7). Scola knew that West wasn't going anywhere. So when he arrived in Indianapolis after a trade sent Miles Plumlee, Gerald Green and the 2014 first-round draft pick to Phoenix, Scola greeted Vogel with two questions – what on Earth should he say to his childhood idol and new boss, Larry Bird?

"And secondly, 'Am I going to play?' " Vogel recalled.

Scola, a starter through most of his eight-year career, admitted in wanting to feel assured about how the Pacers viewed him in their puzzle.

"I had concerns," Scola said, "because this was a team that was playing really well (and) had all the pieces. I was concerned about what's going to be my role. When the trade was going down, you never really know what kind of situation you are (in). Sometimes you are the big part of the trade, sometimes you are the worst part of the trade if a team wanted to get rid of you or the other team really wanted to get you."

But any trepidation was quickly resolved because the Pacers wanted and needed Scola.

"We sat him down and told him the (starting frontcourt) belongs to David and Roy and that those are our guys," Vogel told Scola. " 'This is the first time, you'll have to come off the bench, but you're going to come off the bench and play a lot and be a major part of a special season.' "

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Josh McRoberts and Luis Scola have matching hairdos as they fight for rebounding position. The Pacers hosted the Charlotte Bobcats in NBA action Dec. 13, 2013 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.(Photo: Rob Goebel/The Star)

Since training camp, Vogel has kept his word. Through every early timeout in the first quarters of games, Scola can be seen running in place and stretching his legs in preparation for his sixth man role. Then, like clockwork, Scola relieves West midway through the first quarter to play alongside the starters until Vogel begins rotating in the rest of the bench.

"I always try to find him in the post because I know he can do a lot more than what he's doing because of the minutes he's playing," center Roy Hibbert said. "So whenever I'm out there, I always tell him I'm going to look for him. I try to hook him up with some passes for him to dunk it and (get) one or two more shots than he usually gets."

This season, only three Hibbert passes have resulted in made field goals for Scola. However, statistics reveal that if Scola receives a pass in certain areas on the court, then he's likely to give a teammate an assist. Scola hits mid-range jumpers (16 to 24 feet) at a bewilderingly consistent rate of 51 percent and those makes have been assisted 98 percent of the time.

Besides his dependable jump shot, Scola plays as a willing passer and motoring hustler – though he is not the fastest, hardly a time goes by on the court without the sight of Scola, hair flowing behind him, in hot pursuit of a play in transition.

"He has been playing really well, solid," Hibbert said. "(Scola) knows how to pass, rebound, he's been working on his athleticism too. Before, in training camp, we had a dunking drill and he airballed a dunk. Now, he's like two-handed slamming it, one-hand slamming it. He's a hard worker and I'm happy.

"Seriously, I feel like he can do a lot more for us but you know, he gives into the system of playing with four bigs and he's very efficient in the time he's on the court."

Former Pacers now starting Suns: What Miles Plumlee and Gerald Green could not find as members of the Indiana Pacers last season, they have discovered in Phoenix as starters. When it was time to make the trade for Luis Scola, Indiana was still high on Plumlee but the team felt that backup center Ian Mahinmi was further along and so stuck with the veteran. However, Plumlee – who spent time in the Developmental League as a Pacer rookie – has enjoyed a breakout season with nine double-doubles. Green, too, has returned to showing the potential of his game. In 22 starts this year, Green is averaging 15.0 points while making 2.4 3-pointers a game.

Stephenson fined: He was warned once, and now Lance Stephenson has to pay up. On Tuesday, the NBA fined Stephenson $5,000 for violating the league's anti-flopping rules for the second time this season. The latest incident occurred on Monday night against the Golden State Warriors. Stephenson fell down while Warriors guard Klay Thompson attempted a defensive box out.

Prediction: They're not the Suns of old with the offense running and gunning around Steve Nash, but the new Suns have shown a knack for filling the scoreboard. Phoenix ranks 8th in the league an Offensive Rating of 105.7 points – the statistic measures points scored per 100 possessions. Another challenge for the Pacers, for sure, but this isn't a back-to-back. So, with a day of rest and preparation out of the way, Indiana should continue proving to the national audience that it should be in the conversation for Finals contender. Pacers win 101-97.